1. FIELD OF INVENTION
In the oceans and notably on soft bottoms the lack of hard substrates is often the limiting factor which prevents fishes and sessile organisms such as algae and shellfishes to settle and develop in fertile waters where light minerals and plankton are present enough for their nurture. Moreover it has been demonstrated in the applicant's previous works, that any immersed structure, natural or artificial, not only attracts the environmental biomass but is a development factor for the biomass.
Hence, immersed structures, either natural, artificial, or a combination of both, have a great potentiality for the biomass enhancement of the oceans. The Art of immersing, positioning and mooring artificial substrates, support-surfaces or structures, as well as the Art of implanting algae fields and shellfishes reefs, is now highly wanted for restoration and development of biomass factors.
Heretofore artificial reefs have utilized for sea enhancement purpose. They are large and heavy structures prefabricated on earth, made of concrete, rocks, iron, chains, plastics and other materials, immersed and settled into the sea at high costs. These artificial reefs aim to attract fishes and give them new habitats.
Unlike artificial reefs, the artificial substrates we are interested in, are light and inexpensive structures with specific support-surfaces on which affix and develop natural structures of algae and shellfishes. These artificial substrates usually weigh hundreds or thousands of times less than artificial reefs. These easily handled and inexpensive artificial structures can affix large natural structures such as giant algae and shellfish clusters which weigh hundreds or thousands of times more than the artificial structure. For a small artificial structure moored in the waters one obtains a great biomass productivity and sometimes a great wave energy absorption.
On Mar. 3, 1987 the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 023,188 of Antonius Streichenberger has described such light and inexpensive artificial substrates with their implanting process and devices, for use on soft bottom in order to settle in open sea large algae and shellfish fields.
In 1979, and independently of any biomass consideration, the hydrodynamic effect and wave energy absorption of tethered buoys, floating near the water surface, have been described by some researchers, notably Richard Seymour University of Calif.
In 1984, and independently of any artificial substrates, the wave energy absorption and tide deflection of natural algae fields have been described by some researchers, notably G.A. Jackson, University of California.
However and so far as I know, no one ever described the wanted characteristics of artificial substrates and associated sessile organisms for operating as biomass factors and/or wave energy absorbers.